Diploma in Education (Individual Educational Needs) Course Regulations,

L.N. 179 of 2003

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Diploma in Education (Individual Educational Needs) Course Regulations,

IN exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 30

(5) and 31 (6) of the Education Act (Cap. 327), the Chancellor of the

University of Malta has promulgated the following regulations made by

the Senate of the University of Malta by virtue of the powers conferred

upon it by sections 31 and 35 of the said Act

Citation and Interpretation

(1) These regulations may be cited as the Diploma in Education

(Individual Educational Needs) Course Regulations, 2003.

(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires -

“the Board” means the Board of the Faculty of Education;

“the Board of Studies” means the Board of Studies appointed for the

Course;

“the Course” means the course of studies leading to the Diploma; and

“the Diploma” means the Diploma in Education (Individual Educational

Needs).

Applicability

These regulations shall apply to courses starting in February and

October 2003.

Eligibility for the Diploma

To be eligible for the award of the Diploma, students must

B

(a) be registered as regular students in the Course in terms of the

Admission Regulations of the University;

(b) complete the appropriate course of studies, obtain 15 credits as

indicated in regulation 6, and satisfy any other requirements prescribed in

these regulations; and

(c) satisfy all other requirements laid down in these regulations and in

any other relevant statutes, regulations and bye-laws of the University.

Admission to the Course

(1) Applicants shall apply to register for the Course on the

prescribed form and within the time specified by the Office of the Registrar.

(2) Applicants may apply to register for the Course if they

possess the Pre-Tertiary Certificate in Education (Learning Support

Facilitators), and two years’ experience in facilitation, are presently

supporting a child/children statemented with special educational needs in

either mainstream or special schools, and are nominated by the Education

Division.

Duration of Course

The Course shall extend over two semesters of study on a part-

time basis.

Course of Studies

(1) The Course shall consist of the following components to

which 15 credits are assigned

(a)

area of specialisation: taught study-units and a Practice

Placement to which 7 credits are assigned;

(b) Individual Educational Needs Co-ordination to which 4

credits are assigned; and

(c) School Based Project to which 4 credits are assigned.

B

(2) The Board shall draw up a catalogue of study-units. The

catalogue shall indicate the code, title, description, and type of each study-

unit, the credits assigned to each study-unit, which study-units are

compulsory, concurrent or pre-requisites for other study-units, and the

methods of teaching and assessment. The Board shall publish the catalogue

for the Course prior to its commencement, following approval by the Senate.

Assessment

(1) Credits shall be assigned according to the following grades in

descending order of merit: A+, A, B+, B, C+, C, D+ and D, except when a

study-unit is assessed on a Pass/Fail basis. Failure shall be indicated by F.

Incomplete work due to justifiable reasons (illness, approved absence, etc.)

shall be indicated by I. In all other cases the results of uncompleted study-

units shall be indicated as F.

(2) Students who fail any study-unit shall be allowed to resubmit

their assignment/s, or resit the test/s once at the next examination session. If

successful, the maximum grade that may be awarded shall be grade D.

(3) Students who fail their resit or resubmission shall be required to

withdraw from the Course.

Practice Placement

(1) Students are required to undertake one Practice Placement

spread over the whole Course and linked to their area of specialisation, to

which 3 credits are assigned. Students will have at least two visits, one

formative and one summative, related to their area of specialisation.

(2) The Practice Placement lasts over the whole Course and the

final result (Pass of Fail) would be given at the end of the Course. In the

case of failure, students shall be allowed to repeat it once during a period to

be determined by the Board of Studies.

B

School Based Project

(1) Students are required to undertake a school based project

linked to their area of specialisation of not less than 5000 words under

supervision. Four credits are assigned to the project.

(2) The School Based Project shall be assessed according to the

grading scheme indicated in regulation 7.

Attendance

Regular attendance for all study-units of the Course is obligatory.

In the case of absence for a reason the Board of Studies considers valid, it

may allow students to proceed with the Course provided that alternative

arrangements are made to make up for the missed lectures/practice

placement.

Final Result

(1) The final result shall take into account the students’

performance in all the components of the Course according to the following

weighting

Credits for all taught study-units

60%

Practice Placement

20%

School Based Project

20%

(2) The names of students who qualify for the award of the

Diploma shall be published in a list in alphabetical order classified as follows

Pass with Distinction

Pass.